Without You | Sesshomaru

Chapter 9

When night fell once again, Lyra was sitting with Sesshomaru. He had his knees up as he rested against the tree whilst Lyra sat facing him as she leaned back on his legs, a small daisy in her hands that Rin had given her earlier. It was nice to have just been relaxing for the past few days now that Naraku was staying hidden. They simply gazed at each other in silence, a warm breeze adding to the serenity in the atmosphere. Sesshomaru never thought he would fall so hard and deep in love with a human. Lyra only thought of herself as a normal girl. There was nothing special about her in her own eyes. It was just that no one had put so much care and attention into him, no one looked at him the way she did.

His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb slowly stroking across her skin and tracing her lips. He felt the warmth of her cheek under his hand, his eyes fixated on her azure blue ones. It was like he could see the stars shining within them and he could look at them forever. Lyra breathed calmly, her eyes becoming more aware of the markings on his face. They suited him so well, it would be strange if he was without them. And his hair. She had touched his hair a few times and she couldn't get over how soft it was. It would make anyone jealous. The two were a complete contrast. One a stoic demon with white hair and gold eyes. The other a talkative human with dark hair and blue eyes. Yet they matched so perfectly.

"Will you miss me when I'm gone?" she asked quietly, her voice breaking the silence.
"Very much so," he answered just as softly as he continued to stroke her cheek. "Time will pass by slowly without you."
She smiled just as his thumb brushed over her lips. "I'm going to miss you, too."
"I regret that I'm unable to go with you. I won't be there to protect you."
Lyra giggled and rolled her eyes. "There are no demons where I come from, Sesshomaru. I'll be fine."
"Hm, very well. What will you be doing there?" he asked, his fingers now raking slowly through her hair.
"Well, knowing my father, he'll be waiting for me on the other side. I'll have to convince him to let me come back. Then at work..." she gazed up at the night sky, thinking quietly before continuing, "I'll have to explain why I haven't contacted them. I'll just have to say I have family commitments. I'm sure my father will back up my story."
Sesshomaru listened to her intently as Lyra looked at her again. "You speak a lot of your father but not of your mother," he stated. "Why?"
Lyra sighed deeply, her eyes travelling down to the daisy in her hands. "She died...giving birth to me," she admitted as her voice dropped in tone slightly. "That's what my father told me."

Sesshomaru could sense the sadness in her voice and instantly regretted asking about her mother. It was clearly an emotional subject for her. Lyra never liked to speak of it since she never knew of a mother's love. Yes, her father had tried his best to take the role of a father and a mother, and she appreciated it, but it wasn't the same. Sesshomaru saw her fiddling with the daisy in her fingers before she shrugged nonchalantly.

"I would like to have met her but there's nothing I can do. My father did tell me she was an amazing woman though. She was always so kind and wonderful. Apparently there was nothing she couldn't do. She was one in a million."

Lyra was rambling and Sesshomaru recognised that trait of hers whenever she was nervous or upset. As much as he loved hearing her voice, he didn't wish for her to be sad. His hand moved over her small ones, halting her from fumbling her fingers about and instantly stopping her from talking. At that point, Lyra finally managed to breathe. She didn't notice she had been holding it in. Her eyes made contact with his again and he was able to see the glaze of tears threatening to fall.

"If your mother was anything like you, I would have to agree with your father," he told her.
Lyra smiled at his words, the glaze slowly disappearing from her eyes as she blinked a few times. "Thank you."
He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers gently before stroking his thumb across them. "What will you bring back with you?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Food, definitely. I don't think I can live off fish any longer," she said with a quiet laugh. "Some stuff for Rin and more clothes."
"You also mentioned work. It's not too difficult, I hope." He literally continued the conversation only to hear her voice.
She shook her head. "I used to think it was hard but after spending time here, it's gonna feel so easy. At least no one's trying to kidnap me there. Although, one man did try to grope me," she trailed off at the end.
Sesshomaru's eyes instantly narrowed, his eyebrows creasing in anger at her last words. "I will kill him."
"No, no, no!" she quickly denied him, her eyes widening slightly. "It was a couple of years ago. Plus, he was intoxicated. The security guards took him away."
Sesshomaru closed his eyes and breathed out. "When this is all over, I will assign to you your own personal guards for whenever I am not present."
"That really won't be necessary."
"It is for me."
Lyra sighed in defeat and smiled. "Very well."
He looked at her and brushed some of her hair back. "Sleep now."
"Goodnight," she whispered.
"Goodnight."